Parting machine, workpiece positioning device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a cutting machine comprising a rotating cutting wheel for performing separating cuts in a workpiece, and also relates to a workpiece positioning device for such a cutting machine. The cutting machine comprises a cutting wheel and a drive motor for driving the cutting wheel, a clamping means for clamping the workpiece, means for mechanically positioning the workpiece along one or two translational directions and additionally about one or two rotation axes, and a lifting mechanism for setting the cutting wheel on the workpiece to perform separating cuts in the positioned workpiece using the cutting wheel.

REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Serial No. 16/076,446 filed Aug. 8, 2018, which is a national phase of PCT/EP2017/052853 filed Feb. 9, 2017 and claims the priority of German patent application No. DE102016102218.7, filed on Feb. 9, 2016. The entire contents of these priority applications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cutting machine comprising a rotating cutting wheel for making separating cuts in a workpiece, and also relates to a workpiece positioning device for such a cutting machine.

BACKGROUND

Cutting machines such as wet abrasion cutting machines are used for a variety of separation tasks. Examples of such cutting machines are the devices of the Brillant series, such as Applicant’s Brillant 275 cut-off machine to which reference is hereby made.

An application field for such cutting machines is the separation of sample portions from test specimens to be examined, for example, in the automotive industry. This allows, for example, to selectively examine microstructures at different points of a test specimen. For this purpose, sample portions are cut out of the test specimen using the cutting machine. The wet cutting process allows for removal of sample portions in such a way that microstructural damage caused by the separating cut is kept low at the later test surface.

In many cases, one or two separating cuts are sufficient to detach a sample portion from the test specimen. For these cases, standardized clamping tools are used to fix the test specimen in the cutting machine and then to set and perform the separating cut. However, with the ever increasing requirements on components, for example, in the automotive industry in terms of their compact design, their weight, their material properties, their manufacturing process, etc., and at the same time increasing requirements on quality and reliability of the components, the test specifications are becoming more complex and more extensive. As a result, separating tasks may arise, for example, in which, depending on the component, a plurality of sample portions, e.g. 5 to 10, are to be taken from a test specimen, which accordingly requires a corresponding number of separating cuts in different angular positions.

A drawback of the prior art cutting machines is that such complex separation tasks may require manual user intervention; in particular, it may be necessary to possibly even repeatedly re-clamp the test specimen or workpiece, which is cumbersome and time-consuming. This is the starting point of the present disclosure.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The object of the present disclosure is therefore to provide a cutting machine which performs complex separation tasks with little manual effort from the user.

A further object of the present disclosure is to provide a cutting machine which quickly and easily makes separating cuts in different angular positions.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to allow for retrofitting of existing cutting machines with improved functionality.

The object of the present disclosure is achieved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. Multiple possible embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

According to the present disclosure, a cutting machine is provided for processing workpieces, the cutting machine comprising a cutting wheel for making separating cuts in a workpiece such as a test specimen, and a drive motor for driving the cutting wheel.

The cutting machine comprises a work table for fixing the workpiece to be processed, the work table defining an xz-plane, e.g. the horizontal plane.

A first displacement means can be used to effect a relative displacement between the workpiece and the cutting wheel in a first direction in the xz-plane in order to position the workpiece in the first direction in the xz-plane relative to the cutting wheel, for separating cuts using the cutting wheel. Depending on the cutting machine, the displacement may be accomplished by a translational displacement of the work table or by a translational displacement of the cutting wheel.

The cutting machine may further comprise a workpiece positioning device including a clamping means for clamping the workpiece. The workpiece positioning device may further comprise a first mechanical rotating means for rotating and rotatably positioning the workpiece clamped in the clamping device about a first rotation axis D, prior to or between making separating cuts.

After translationally and rotatably positioning the workpiece relative to the cutting wheel, the cutting wheel is set on the workpiece in the y-direction perpendicular to the xz-plane, by a lifting mechanism, in order to make separating cuts in the workpiece using the cutting wheel. A separating cut in the workpiece is performed by introducing the rotating cutting wheel into the workpiece, in particular, in an advancement direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cutting wheel, while an abrasive cutting operation is carried out on the workpiece. A separating cut with a cutting wheel is, in particular, made through grinding or abrasive removal of the material of the workpiece. Therefore, cutting machines are sometimes also referred to as abrasion cutting machines. The cutting wheel may be lowered onto the workpiece, e.g. by a pivoting movement. However, it is also possible to reverse the kinematics and to move the work table towards the cutting wheel, perpendicularly to the xz-plane, in order to bring the cutting wheel in contact with the workpiece. Preferably, the rotating cutting wheel is moved in the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cutting wheel during approaching and cutting. Preferably, the cutting wheel is not rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cutting wheel. Furthermore preferably, the setting of the cutting wheel and the separating cuts are performed, in particular exclusively, through movement of the lifting mechanism in the y-direction, while the work table is otherwise hold stationary in the xz-plane.

Thus, the workpiece can not only be translated relative to the cutting wheel, but can also be rotated to be positioned for performing separating cuts, which allows to execute complex separation tasks with separating cuts at different angles. The setting for different cuts may be effected automatically and optionally without re-clamping the workpiece. Further, the efforts for complex workpiece removal instructions can be reduced or avoided. This can save time and reduce manual intervention. Furthermore, the number of clamping tools can be reduced while it is nevertheless possible to make precisely positioned separating cuts. Furthermore, the risk of failure can be minimized.

Preferably, the workpiece positioning device furthermore comprises a second mechanical rotating means for rotatably positioning the workpiece clamped in the clamping device about a second rotation axis E before or between making separating cuts. The second rotation axis preferably lies transversely, in particular perpendicular to the first rotation axis D.

This permits to further increase the flexibility of positioning and the degree of automation, to further reduce the processing time, and to further reduce the number of manual interventions as well as the number of clamping tools.

Preferably, the first rotation axis D is perpendicular to the xz-plane of the work table, and/or the second rotation axis E is parallel to the xz-plane of the work table.

Preferably, the first and/or second mechanical rotating means allow to rotate the workpiece by at least 90°, most preferably by at least 180° about the first and second rotation axes, respectively. It has been found that the possibility to be rotated by 180° plus 10° overrotation in both directions is sufficient for most separation tasks.

Preferably, the cutting machine comprises a second displacement means for producing a relative displacement between the workpiece and the cutting wheel in a second direction in the xz-plane transversely, in particular perpendicular to the first direction, in order to be able to position the workpiece for separating cuts with the cutting wheel in the first and second directions, i.e. in both directions in the xz-plane, relative to the cutting wheel. For this purpose, the work table may for instance comprise a two-dimensional xz translation mechanism, or the work table is configured to be displaceable in one direction, x or z, and the cutting wheel can be displaced in the second direction perpendicularly thereto, in order to accomplish the two-dimensional translational relative positioning in the xz-plane between the cutting wheel and the workpiece.

In particular if two-dimensional displaceability in the xz-plane and rotatability about both axes D and E is provided, the workpiece can be automatically positioned in almost any translational position and rotational position relative to the cutting wheel, so that almost any desired separating cut can be performed without any user intervention and without re-clamping the workpiece. This is associated with savings in manual working time and processing time. In this case, we can speak of a 5-axes cutting machine, two axes being defined by the translation in the xz-plane, two axes being defined by the two rotational axes D and E, and the fifth axis by the setting direction y.

Preferably, the setting of the cutting wheel or making of the separating cuts is achieved by a movement of the lifting mechanism in y-direction, whereas the workpiece is not rotated about the first and/or second rotational axes while making the separating cuts. In other words, the positioning of the workpiece in x-direction, in y-direction, about the first rotation axis, and/or about the second rotation axis relative to the cutting wheel is preferably only carried out for positioning the workpiece before making the separating cut and not while making the separating cut. The separating cut is preferably carried out exclusively by actuating the lifting mechanism for advancing the rotating cutting wheel towards and into the workpiece.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the workpiece positioning device is releasably clampable on the work table, e.g. in the clamping or mounting grooves typically provided in the work table. This has the advantage that already existing cutting machines can be retrofitted with the workpiece positioning device, and that the workpiece positioning device can be removed, for example for maintenance or cleaning work. Furthermore, the workpiece positioning device may for example even be fixed at different locations in the clamping or mounting grooves. Nevertheless, the workpiece can be clamped to the workpiece positioning device in stable manner and with low vibration.

The workpiece in particular protrudes out of the plane defined by the work table, and thus is located in a space between the work table and the cutting wheel in its clamped state, before the cutting wheel is set on the workpiece.

The workpiece positioning device preferably comprises a respective stepping motor and a worm drive driven by the stepping motor, for rotatably positioning the workpiece clamped in the clamping device about the first and/or second rotation axes. Preferably, the first and/or second mechanical rotating means are thus configured to be self-locking. This permits to ensure that the workpiece is supported stably.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the workpiece positioning device comprises a fixing plate and a rotary housing. The fixing plate of the workpiece positioning device is releasably clamped to the work table, e.g. by means of clamping screws in the clamping or mounting grooves of the work table. The rotary housing is mounted for rotation about the fixing plate, and for rotatably positioning the workpiece about the first rotation axis D, the rotary housing is rotated about the fixing plate, in particular together with the first and/or second stepping motors for the first and second mechanical rotating means. In other words, for rotation about the first rotation axis D, almost the entire workpiece positioning device is rotated, except for the clamped fixing plate. This allows for a stable construction and precise rotation of the workpiece positioning device.

Preferably, the workpiece positioning device has electrical supply lines which are routed so as to be flexible about the y-direction perpendicular to the xz-plane, e.g. with a flexible cable chain, sometimes also referred to as energy chain.

Preferably, the workpiece positioning device comprises a quick-change device in which the clamping means can be latched so that different clamping means can be fixed to the workpiece positioning device and can also be exchanged quickly and easily.

The cutting machine furthermore preferably comprises a machine housing which accommodates the cutting wheel, the work table, the workpiece positioning device, and/or the flexibly routed supply lines, and which defines a closable working space. For this purpose, the machine housing comprises a covering hood which closes the working space while the separating cuts are made, but allows the user to access the workpiece positioning device and the workpiece prior to and after the making of the separating cuts. The cutting machine thus meets high safety requirements and allows for working with high coolant pressure, so that adequate cooling of the cutting wheel and the workpiece is guaranteed.

The separation machine preferably comprises a program controller for automatically controlling the separating cuts. Preferably, the control of the workpiece positioning device and the control of the first and/or second rotating means is integrated into the existing program controller of the cutting machine, so that the program controller automatically controls the relative displacement in the first and/or second directions and the rotation of the workpiece about the first and/or second rotational axes prior to and between separating cuts, so that the program controller can automatically control a plurality of separating cuts in succession, at different positions in the xz-plane and with different rotational positions of the workpiece.

Furthermore preferably, the cutting machine has a control panel with one or more manual control knobs, e.g. rotary knobs and/or so-called joysticks for manually driving the first and/or second displacement means and the first and/or second mechanical rotating means so as to be able to manually set desired separating cuts.

For programming the desired separating cuts, it is in particular possible to manually set the starting position in the first and/or second directions in the xz-plane and with respect to the first and/or second rotational position of the workpiece using the one or more manual control knob(s), and to store it in the program controller. The associated separation path and optionally further separation parameters such as advance rate and/or intermittent advancement may be programmed into the program controller as numerical values or check boxes, for example, via the control panel.

Preferably, the cutting machine furthermore comprises a diameter measuring device for the cutting wheel, which automatically measures the diameter of the cutting wheel, for example prior to each separating cut during a separation task including a plurality of separating cuts, or on user request between the separating cuts. The program controller can then automatically and online adjust the previously stored setting and separating paths for the separating cuts still to be performed after a respective measurement, on the basis of the measured diameter values, in order to compensate for the ongoing wear of the cutting wheel even during a separation task that comprises a plurality of individual separating cuts.

Also a subject-matter of the present disclosure is the workpiece positioning device for being fixed to a work table of a cutting machine, for example as a retrofit part for existing cutting machines. The workpiece positioning device accordingly comprises

-   a fixing means for rigidly clamping the workpiece positioning device     to the work table of the cutting machine, -   a clamping means for clamping a workpiece, and -   a first mechanical rotating means for rotatably positioning the     workpiece clamped in the clamping means about a first rotation axis     D, and/or a second mechanical rotating means for rotatably     positioning the workpiece clamped in the clamping device about a     second rotation axis E prior to or between performing separating     cuts, in order to make the separating cuts in different rotational     positions without manually re-clamping the workpiece.

The present disclosure accordingly provides a cutting machine for processing workpieces using a rotating cutting wheel, which comprises

-   a cutting wheel and a drive motor for driving the cutting wheel, -   a clamping means for clamping the workpiece, -   means for mechanically positioning the workpiece along one or two     translational directions and additionally about one or two rotation     axes, and -   a lifting mechanism for setting the cutting wheel on the workpiece     to perform separating cuts in the positioned workpiece using the     cutting wheel.

The present disclosure will now be explained in more detail by way of multiple possible embodiments and with reference to the figures, in which the same and similar elements are partially designated with the same reference numerals. Features of multiple possible embodiments can be combined.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of Applicant’s cut-off machine Brillant 275;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cutting machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , with a workpiece positioning device rotated about vertical axis D;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the cutting machine of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , with a clamped workpiece;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a workpiece, with twelve indicated separating cuts to be performed as a complex separation task;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the workpiece positioning device mounted on the work table of the cutting machine;

FIG. 8 is a partially transparent plan view of the first mechanical rotating means of the workpiece positioning device;

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view along line 9-9 of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along line 10-10 of FIG. 9 ;

FIG. 11 is a partially transparent bottom view of the second mechanical rotating means of the workpiece positioning device;

FIG. 12 is a partially transparent top view of the second mechanical rotating means of FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view along line 13-13 of FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view along line 14-14 of FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the workpiece positioning device;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a clamping means for a cylindrical workpiece, with connecting spigots for a quick-change device;

FIG. 17 is a partially sectioned view of the clamping means of FIG. 16 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a cutting machine, more specifically Applicant’s Brillant 275 wet cut-off machine which can be retrofitted with the present disclosure, as will be seen from FIGS. 2 through 5 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the cutting machine 10 comprises a machine housing 12 which defines a working space 14 that can be opened and closed by a slideably displaceable covering hood 16 to get access to the working space 14. A cutting wheel 22 is arranged in the working space 14, in the present example a corundum cutting wheel 22, which is driven by a drive motor that is located in the machine housing 12 (not visible in the view). Coolant nozzles 24 provide for adequate cooling of the cutting wheel 22 and the workpiece when performing the separating cuts. Cutting wheel 22 is lowered, in the direction of the y-axis, by a lifting mechanism 26 which in the present example is configured as a pivoting mechanism, in order to be set on the workpiece and to carry out the desired separating cuts.

In working space 14, a work table 32 is arranged, which is mounted for being displaceable in two dimensions in the xz-plane by xz displacement means 34, 36. The driving of the mechanical displacement of the work table 32 in the x-direction and in the z-direction and the setting of the cutting wheel 22 in the y-direction is automatically controlled by a program controller 42, although it is likewise possible to use a joystick 44 for manually setting starting positions for individual separating cuts. The joystick 44 can be used to manually move the work table 32 in the x- and z-directions. Numerical values can be entered via a touchscreen display 46, for example the desired cutting paths or cutting depths.

Prior to each separating cut, it is possible to measure the actual diameter of the cutting wheel 22, automatically or on user request, using a laser measuring device 48, for automatically factoring in, into the previously programmed separating cuts, the progressive wear of the cutting wheel 22 so as to be able to automatically compensate for the wear of the cutting wheel 22 between the individual separating cuts during a separation task that is being performed.

On work table 32, a workpiece positioning device 50 is clamped, which supports a quick-release plate 60 which in turn fixes the clamping means 70 for the workpiece 80 to be processed, by quick-release latching. Workpiece positioning device 50 comprises a first mechanical rotating means 52 which rotates the workpiece positioning device 50 about a vertical first rotation axis D, as symbolized by arrow 54. Furthermore, the workpiece positioning device 50 comprises a second mechanical rotating means 56 which rotates the clamping means 70 about a horizontal second rotation axis E which lies perpendicular to the first rotation axis D, symbolized by arrow 58. The workpiece positioning device 50 comprises electrical supply lines 160 which are routed so as to be flexible about the y-direction perpendicular to the xz-plane.

Thus, the workpiece 80 clamped in clamping means 70 (FIG. 5 ) can be displaced by means of the work table 32 in the two directions x and z in the xz-plane of the work table, by displacing the work table 32, and can additionally be rotated about the two axes D and E by the workpiece positioning device 50, which provides diverse positioning options for the workpiece 80. Even in the case of complex separation tasks which include a plurality of separating cuts at different angles and in different directions, it is thus possible to automatically perform the respective separating cuts without the need for manual user intervention, in particular without re-clamping the workpiece 80.

FIG. 6 shows a test specimen as a workpiece in the form of a cam sleeve of an internal combustion engine, on which a total of 12 separating cuts a) through 1) are to be performed as a complex separation task, for example in order to carry out examinations of the microstructure at different points of the cam sleeve. The cutting machine 10 according to the present disclosure permits to make all 12 separating cuts a) to 1) fully automatically and without re-clamping the workpiece 80. For this purpose, the cam sleeve 80 is clamped in clamping means 70, in the region of portion 82, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 , for example.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10 , the workpiece positioning device 50 comprises a lower rotating means 52. A 2-phase stepping motor 102 drives a worm 106, via a motor shaft 104, which in turn drives a worm wheel 108. The worm wheel 108 revolves around a ring gear 110. A top plate 114 is firmly clamped in grooves 118 of the work table, by means of clamping elements 116, whereby the workpiece positioning device 50 is rigidly clamped to the work table 32. Due to the engagement between worm wheel 108 and ring gear 110, the entire workpiece positioning device 50 together with its rotary housing 51 rotates relative to the top plate 114 and about rotation axis D, as driven by the stepping motor 102.

The second rotating means 56 (FIGS. 11 to 14 ) is rigidly connected to the first rotating means 52 by a dovetail guide 120, 121.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 14 , the second rotating means 56 comprises a 2-phase stepping motor 132 which drives a pinion 136, via a motor shaft 134. Pinion 136 drives the worm shaft 142, via an intermediate gear 138 and a pinion 140. The worm 144 mounted on worm shaft 142 drives the worm gear 146 which is connected to the drive plate 148 to turn it about rotation axis E.

Referring to FIGS. 15 to 17 , drive plate 148 has a quick-change plate 60 attached thereto, which has a quick-latch receptacle 152. Clamping means 70 has a connection plate 154 with quick-release spigots 156 which can be easily latched in and released from the quick-latch receptacle 152. In this way it is possible to easily and rapidly place and replace different workpieces using associated clamping means 70.

The control of the first and second rotating means 52, 56 is integrated in the program controller 42 of cutting machine 10. The control panel 161 of cutting machine 10 comprises a joystick 44 for driving the work table 32 in xz-directions, and in addition thereto two rotary knobs 162, 164 which can be used to manually drive the first and second mechanical rotating means 52, 56. For example, a complex separation task such as that of the cam sleeve 80 in FIG. 6 can be programmed by manually setting each starting position of the individual separating cuts to be made, using the manual control elements 44, 162, 164. The program controller 42 then automatically stores the manually set positions as respective starting positions for each respective separating cut to be performed. The depth of the separating cuts can then be programmed via touch screen display 46. Subsequently, the hood 16 is closed and the entire separation task which comprises to perform the 12 separating cuts a) to 1) is performed fully automatically. Program controller 42 thus includes a multi-position process which allows to program a plurality of separation steps in succession and to execute them automatically, while the programming can be done step by step.

The cutting machine according to the present disclosure can thus be referred to as a 5-axes cutting machine 10. Here, the linear axes x and z define the two-dimensional displacement of the work table 32, the y-axis defines the setting direction between the cutting wheel 22 and the workpiece 80, and the additional axes D and E define the two rotation axes about which the workpiece 80 is rotated in addition to the xz translation.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described above are only meant to be exemplary, and that the present disclosure is not limited thereto but can rather be varied in many ways without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, all features that have been disclosed in conjunction with the cutting machine are considered to be disclosed in conjunction with the workpiece positioning device as well, and vice versa. Furthermore, it will be apparent that irrespective of whether disclosed in the description, the claims, the figures, or otherwise, the features also individually define components of the present disclosure, even if they are described together with other features. 

1. A cut-off machine for metallographic sample preparation using a rotating abrasive cut-off wheel for making separating cuts through a test specimen to cut off sample pieces of the test specimen in a closable working space, comprising: an abrasive cut-off wheel to make separating cuts through a test specimen; a drive motor for rotationally driving the cut-off wheel around a rotation axis; coolant nozzles for cooling of the cut-off wheel and the test specimen when performing the separating cuts in the closed working space; a work table defining an xz-plane and having clamping or mounting grooves; a clamp for clamping the test specimen; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a first linear displacement direction in the xz-plane to position the test specimen for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel in the first linear displacement direction in the xz-plane relative to the cut-off wheel; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a second linear displacement direction in the xz-plane perpendicularly to the first linear displacement direction to position the test specimen for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel in the second linear displacement direction in the xz-plane relative to the cut-off wheel; a first motor for rotatably positioning the test specimen clamped in the clamp about a first rotation axis prior to or between performing separating cuts, wherein the first rotation axis is perpendicular to the xz-plane; a machine housing accommodating the cut-off wheel, the coolant nozzles, the work table, and the clamp, wherein the machine housing comprises a covering hood closing the working space while the separating cuts are made and allowing a user to access the test specimen prior to and after the making of the separating cuts; a lifting mechanism for advancing the cut-off wheel on, into and through the test specimen in a y-direction perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the cut-off wheel and parallelly to the first rotation axis, while the separating cut with the cut-off wheel is made; and a program controller that controls the first and second linear displacement directions and the first motor and that is configured to automatically and successively execute a plurality of separating cuts through the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different rotational positions of the test specimen about the first axis when the hood is closed, thereby automatically successively cutting off a plurality of sample pieces from the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different angles with different cuts without re-clamping the test specimen between the cuts, and without user intervention.
 2. The cut-off machine claimed in claim 1, wherein said first motor is a stepping motor and wherein said first motor drives a worm drive to rotatably position said test specimen about said first rotation axis.
 3. The cut-off machine claimed in claim 1, wherein said test specimen in said clamp is rotatably positioned by one of said first motor or a second motor about a second rotation axis prior to or between performing separating cuts, wherein the second rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis.
 4. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said test specimen in said clamp is rotatably positioned by said second motor about said second axis of rotation.
 5. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a joystick, said joystick permitting a user to manually enter into the program controller the first and second linear displacement directions and a start position of a separating cut.
 6. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first rotary control, said first rotary control permitting a user to manually enter into the program controller a rotational position of the test specimen about the first rotation axis for a separating cut.
 7. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a second rotary control, said second rotary control permitting a user to manually enter into the program controller a rotational position of the test specimen about the second rotation axis for a separating cut.
 8. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first motor is capable of rotating said test specimen by at least 90° about said first rotation axis.
 9. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first motor or said second motor is capable of rotating said test specimen by at least 90° about said second rotation axis.
 10. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a diameter measuring device for measuring a diameter of said cut-off wheel either after a user request or automatically between each of said plurality of separating cuts, and wherein the separating cuts still to be performed after the measurement are automatically adjusted by the program controller on the basis of the measured diameter of the cut-off wheel.
 11. The cut-off machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein said diameter measuring device comprises a laser measuring device.
 12. A cut-off machine, comprising: a cut-off wheel to make separating cuts through a test specimen; a drive motor for rotationally driving the cut-off wheel around a rotation axis; a work table defining an xz-plane; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a first linear displacement direction in the xz-plane to position the test specimen in the xz-plane relative to the cut-off wheel for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a second linear displacement direction in the xz-plane perpendicularly to the first linear displacement direction to position the test specimen for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel; and a test specimen positioning device on the work table and including a clamp to clamp the test specimen, a first motor to rotatably position the test specimen about a first rotation axis prior to or between performing separating cuts, wherein the first rotation axis is perpendicular to the xz-plane, and a second motor to rotatably position the test specimen about a second rotation axis prior to or between performing separating cuts, wherein the second rotation axis is parallel to the xz-plane.
 13. The cut-off machine of claim 12, further comprising: a lifting mechanism for advancing the cut-off wheel through the test specimen in a y-direction perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the cut-off wheel and parallelly to the first rotation axis; and a program controller that controls the first and second linear displacement directions and the first motor and that is configured to automatically and successively execute a plurality of separating cuts through the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different rotational positions of the test specimen about the first axis, thereby automatically successively cutting off a plurality of sample pieces from the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different angles with different cuts without re-clamping of the test specimen between the cuts, and without user intervention.
 14. A cut-off machine, comprising: a cut-off wheel to make separating cuts through a test specimen; a drive motor for rotationally driving the cut-off wheel around a rotation axis; a work table defining an xz-plane; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a first linear displacement direction in the xz-plane to position the test specimen in the xz-plane relative to the cut-off wheel for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel; at least one of the work table or the cut-off wheel displaceable in a second linear displacement direction in the xz-plane perpendicularly to the first linear displacement direction to position the test specimen for separating cuts with the cut-off wheel; a first motor to rotatably position the test specimen about a first rotation axis prior to or between performing separating cuts, wherein the first rotation axis is perpendicular to the xz-plane; and a diameter measuring device for the cutting wheel, adapted to measure the diameter of the cutting wheel between separating cuts, and wherein setting and separating paths for separating cuts to be performed after the measurement are automatically adjusted on the basis of measured diameter values.
 15. The cut-off machine of claim 14, further comprising: a test specimen positioning device on the work table and including a clamp to clamp the test specimen.
 16. The cut-off machine of claim 15, further comprising: a lifting mechanism for advancing the cut-off wheel through the test specimen in a y-direction perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the cut-off wheel and parallelly to the first rotation axis; and a program controller that controls the first and second linear displacement directions and the first motor and that is configured to automatically and successively execute a plurality of separating cuts through the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different rotational positions of the test specimen about the first axis, thereby automatically successively cutting off a plurality of sample pieces from the test specimen at different positions in the xz-plane and at different angles with different cuts without re-clamping of the test specimen between the cuts, and without user intervention. 